Amusement apparatus



July 14, 1925.

T. B. CURTISS AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 6. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwuenkoz, .Y'Weoflora B. C'urt'iss,

July 14, 1925. 1,546,209

T. B. CURTISS AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 6. 1921 3 sheets-Sheet 2 Tbeaaare D- azzrtjiss,

July 14, 1925. 1.546.209

T. B. cuRTlss AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. a. 192i 3 sheets-sh t s IIII gwuentoc, neadorefi Miss,

Patented July 14, 1925.

-UN LTED STATES P-A rem WO-FEKZE.

IHEQDORE B. CUB-TIES, OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASS IGNOR 'J ZO CON ST AN JOHNSON, or PITTS LD,.-MAS$AC ,1II$ T AMUSEMENT APPARATU S.

Applicationfiled October- 6, 1921, Serial N0."505,87 9. Renewed Kay 25,1'925.

To dbl/1127mm may concern;

"Be i't known that I, THEODORE-'B.- CUR'nss', a dozen of "the ited "States; residing at Pittsfield .in the county of Berkshire and State'ef Massachusetts, have invented Icertain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, of 'whichthe 1501- lowing is a-speeification.

Hie-present invention relates to amusement apparatus, and the object is to provide a novel structure havingfe'atures =of uncertaintyof-a unique character that will create andUhdld'the interests of those engaged therewith, as well as those who may watch it.

'Thvfm'eferred embodiment of the invention' is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is'a pe'rspectiveview of the same,

Figure 2 is a side elevation,

@Fig'urefiis a top plan view,

Figure iis a detail longitudinalsectional View through the delivery end of'the runway,

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view ou'the line "fr-'5' of Figure 4,

Figure '6 is a perspective view of one of the controlling gates,

"Figure 7 is a cross sectional view through the upper or starting end of the runway,'

Figure 8 a cross sectional view on the l i ne8 8 of'Figure 7.

'In the disclosure a suitable framework is employed, whiehi includes standards 9 carrying a runway. This runway hasan upper-section 10 that extends in a generally downwardly inclined relation and preferably consists of a series of successivehills and'dales. Under-lying the upper section 10 is a lower section '11 that also inclines downwardly and has'its lower 'end' portion flared as shown as 12. The lower end of the upper se t on 10 and the upper end of the lower section 11 are connected by reversely inclined branches 13 that divide at the discharge end of the upper section 10 and extend onopposite sides of the overlapped portions of the upper and lower sec tions, the lower ends of'tlie branches'lB comtogether at the upper end of the lower section 1 1.

[At the upper end of the runway is a housing 14- in which is located a' tilting trough '15 arranged transversely of therunway and preferably extending the-v width thereof. "El e troughdsnommhlly held n uprightor: receiving iPOSigBlGIlffi-S shown in"-F|1gure"8 b1y means of a; spring llfi fiflnd connected to this trough is an opeming cable 17. that passes 'even-snitalilewguifle pulleys 18-2md extends to'z-a' drumi9 jopxnaled at :one sideof the flared portion 512; of the lower runway section :11. has a-suit'ahle handle 20 and-lay turning" the same ;it will be evident {that the trough be tilted. A tube-2.1, connected to one;. end. of mhe housing :14,- has its connected .endidire'etly above the trough r15, and sltid extends to a position 'COIWBlllfiht='tOatbfliQP' erator of 1thefi-dmum 139. 'lIt will therefore 'lbe evident: that if iballsor other rolling zobjm fl, as 16, are placedin-thetubaatheyrivill into the trough and assume; positions side by sid stherein.

-llhe iflaared portion 112' of the lewflr $90: tron :11 hasa=- steeply inolined -rterminal im that over-hangs a sliquid '.'eontainer-- ixnthe form :of .an angular and 'fitlid" tinclin'ed Lend: 22 is subdivided by aplnmlitymt longitudinal partitions '24 into .a seriesnqf receiving and de'livening mouths ion Chink nels= 25. Atthe inlet-end of said mouthsior channels arewlocated-en'gle platesna'led' on a pivot; rod- 2 Z,one' plate being provided ifor each channel-rand lbeing: so 0011- structed' that they may turn, .as' indicated in Figure 4. I I.

' Located iinv the tank-23- .arewfloating (3* ceivens; preferably inwthe ifiormi Of'bOQt F-EB that are adapted to be placed side :by .side atithe discharge ends ofithe mouthsforehannels 25, said-lboatshawing stop plates. ,29 mounted therein and being normally held in place by the-projecting of:- bars 30 that 'hook over the sterns of 'thezasaid boats, as illustrated in Figured.

In operating :this apparatus the players each seleotan dndividual ball 16. *Thfie balls may be differently"numberedzor fiQL 100 ored softhateach may be readily identified. The operator introdneeslthe balls through the tube 21 and they' will gravitate .as' 'already explained into the tro-ugh' 15. Then whenthe'dru-rn '1'9 is-itiwned the-trough is 105 tilted and-the balls are simultaneously dis' charged into the upper end of the=runway. They 'will pass down the upper seetion, thence around anddown either of the branches 1 3, and after passing evefthe lower. lleachwill one of channel.

' Fromthe foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction, may be resorted to without'departin'g from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. a

' Having thus fully described my invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In amusement apparatus, the combination with a plurality of freely and bodily and independently: movable receiving devices, of means for confiningzsaid devices within a predetermined :area, a plurality of independent actuating bodies, and means for causing the actuating bodies to be separately delivered to the receiving devices and by their impact thereagainst to-effect the independent bodily movement of the latter over the area in which they are confined.

2. In amusement apparatus, the combination with an area having a goal, of a plurality of receiving devices freely and independently movable over said areas, a plurality of independent actuating bodies, directing means for said bodies, and means for positioning the receiving devices in position to receive the bodies and by the impact thereof cause their movements towards the I oal. g 3. In amusement apparatus, the combination with an area having a goal, of a plurality of receiving devices freely and independently movable over said area, a plurality of downwardly inclined runways, balls that gravitate down the runways, and means for positioning the receiving devices at the discharge ends of the runways to receive the impact of the balls and be thereby driven toward the goal.

4. In amusement apparatus, the combination with a water tank, and buoyant devices that float in the water in said tank, of means for directing objects into said devices and by the impact thereof cause the objects to travel in the tank.

5. In amuseinent apparatus, the combinagoal, and runways for rolling objects hav ing. delivery ends that direct such objects into the buoyant devices and by their impact thereagainst cause. such buoyant devices to traverse the tank towards the goal.

7. In amusement apparatus, the combination with a runway having a plurality of individual outlet mouths for the reception of bodies passing over the runway, means for automaticallyv stopping the entrance of a second bodyinto a mouth after a body has already entered the same, a series of bodily movable devices that receive thebodies passing through the mouths and being .moved by the impact thereof, and means for position ing the devices to. respectively receive the bodies from the mouths. I

8. In amusement apparatus, the combination with a runway having a plurality :of individualmouths for the"v reception of bodies passing over the runway, means at the entrance of each month and operated by the entrance of a body thereinto for barring a succeeding body from such mouth, a series of bodily movable devices that receive the bodies passing through the mouths and being moved by theimpact thereof, and means for positioning the devices to respectively receive the bodies from the mouths.

9. Amusement apparatus comprising a downwardly extending runway, means at the upper end thereof for simultaneousl releasing a plurality of rolling elements, individual discharge mouths at the lower end of the runway, automatic means for barring an element from the runway after the entrance of an element thereto, a liquid container at the discharge ends of the mouths, and floating receivers in the container into which the rolling elements pass from the said mouths.

10. In amusement apparatus, the combination with a runway comprising downwardly inclined sections located at different elevations, and intermediate sections each connected to the lower end of the upper section and the upper end of the lower section and extending at opposite sides of the same, of means for delivering rolling bodies to the upper section, and freely and bodily movable means for receiving the bodies from the lower section and being moved by the impact of said bodies received thereby.

11. In amusement apparatus, the combi nation with a common runway for a pluraldevices respectively at the mouths of the ity of balls, of a plurality of outlet mouths runway. 10 for the runway for receiving individual In testimony whereof I afiix my signaballs, a container at the discharge ends of ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

the mouths, a plurality of freely and bodily THEODORE B. CURTISS. movable devices in said containers adapted Witnesses: to receive and be moved by the impact of BEATRICE S. MACDONALD,

the balls, and means for positioning said JOSEPH WARD LEWIS. 

